Pynchon's politics again

[LOT64 at aol.com]

In a message dated 95-07-10 10:34:47 EDT, you write:

>I'd say there are metaphysics and metaphysics.  In V., the Conspiracy
>that
>Stencil imagines (and which is reinforced by P's imagery) is of some
>malign
>Otherworldly Presence whose mission on earth is to enhance the
>eventual
>triumph of entropy--the movement toward inanimation.
>
>In GR, on the other hand, there may be also malign otherworldly
>presences, but
>their mission is entrusted to real (or at least fictively real)
>characters
>with real ends on This World of suppressing others.

Don,

In GRAVITY'S RAINBOW,  I believe you find the same theme you attribute to V.
 If I understand you correctly,  a major theme of V. is that of some force
(cultural, political, otherworldly...) driving humanity towards the
inanimate.  Or, to put it another way, a society where things are valued more
than people.  GR takes that one step further,  people are turned into things.
 Gottfried becoming a component of the
00000 rocket for example.  

I'd be interested in hearing anyone's take on the whole Gottfried-
inside-the-rocket thing.  Thoughts that occur to me are: Blicero's ultimate
act of sado-masochism (on a personal level) and the State's ultimate act of
subjugation of the individual.  And what was in it for Gottfried? Masochist
or victim?

Also, I had always thought the reason for Slothrop's erections right before
the A-4 struck was due to his conditioning, as an infant, to arousal by
imipolex.  Upon re-reading, its not clear to me.  Was the 00000 rocket the
only one with imipolex components?  If this was so, then the infant
conditioning would not account for Slothrop's hard-ons.  Any enlightening
thoughts?


Ron Churgin